Medium-run effects of COVID-19 induced distant learning on students’ academic performance

Barbara Pertold-Gębicka

Labour Economics, 2024, vol. 89, issue C

Abstract: Administrative data on bachelor students for 2014/15 to 2022/23 academic years are used to analyze their performance before, during, and – what is new in the literature – after the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis reveals that both low- and high-ability students of all affected cohorts received better grades during the semesters when teaching and examinations were delivered online, with the effect on low-ability students continuing through the first after-COVID academic year. However, improved grades contrast with lower graduation rates, especially among high-ability students. Detailed analysis of graduation patterns coupled with ECTS credits take-up analysis suggests that high-ability students were often discouraged from studying during the pandemic. For low-ability students, the negative influence of COVID-19 was compensated by the lenient grading policy that allowed them to pass the compulsory exams and continue studying.

Keywords: Covid-19 pandemic; University students; Grade inflation; Graduation rates (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I21 I23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0927537124000964
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:labeco:v:89:y:2024:i:c:s0927537124000964

DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2024.102601

Access Statistics for this article

Labour Economics is currently edited by A. Ichino

More articles in Labour Economics from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().